What does boredom mean?
Boredom is the state of feeling weary, restless, or dissatisfied because nothing around you interests or engages you — the mental restlessness that sets in during a dull meeting, a long wait, or an afternoon with nothing to do. It functions as an abstract, uncountable noun in standard English, appearing in phrases such as "sheer boredom" and "relief from boredom." Though the experience itself is ancient, the word is comparatively young: English writers only began using it commonly in the nineteenth century, drawing on the verb "to bore," whose own origins remain debated. Boredom usually carries a mildly negative connotation, yet modern psychologists have rehabilitated it somewhat, arguing that spells of boredom can spark creativity and self-reflection. Its synonyms range from the everyday (tedium, dullness) to the more literary ennui, which suggests a deeper, more philosophical weariness. Understanding boredom matters because it names one of the most universal — and increasingly discussed — states of modern life.
nounThe state of feeling weary and restless through lack of interest or stimulation; the condition of being bored.
- The state of being weary and restless through lack of interest, occupation, or stimulation.
- (Less common) The quality of something that makes it dull or tedious; tediousness.
"The long lecture left the students struggling to conceal their boredom."
"Trapped indoors by weeks of rain, the children complained endlessly about their boredom."
"The novel's uneventful middle chapters were widely criticised for their sheer boredom."
Extremely rare and largely obsolete; boredom is almost always treated as an uncountable noun, and any plural use would strike readers as odd or archaic.
"Victorian essayists occasionally catalogued the various boredomsof fashionable life, a usage now vanished from English."
Boredom as a named emotion is surprisingly young — English speakers had been bored for centuries before they finally coined a word for it in the 1800s.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of boredom
Boredom derives from the verb "to bore," meaning to weary by dullness, combined with the noun-forming suffix "-dom" (as in freedom and wisdom). The exact origin of "bore" itself is uncertain: it may come from a Scandinavian source related to Old Norse, though scholars have also proposed connections to French. The compound word emerged in English during the mid-nineteenth century, notably appearing in Charles Dickens's writing, when speakers finally gave a name to a state people had long experienced. Related forms include the adjective "boring" and the participle "bored."
Related word forms
How boredom is actually used
Boredom is an abstract, uncountable noun used in neutral register across both formal and informal contexts. It carries a mildly negative connotation but is often treated with sympathy rather than criticism — modern psychology even frames it as potentially productive. It typically takes no plural form in ordinary usage.
Easily confused with boredom
A bore is a person or thing that causes tedium, while boredom is the state of weariness that results from it.
Ennui is a borrowed French term for a deeper, more world-weary dissatisfaction, whereas boredom is the ordinary everyday word for lack of interest.